


people we can't live without (but have to let go)

by jcp_sob_rjl_lmep



Series: Batman Bingo 2020 [12]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Amnesia, Fluff, Gen, Tiny bit of Angst, i am no doctor, questionable medical advice, vague discriptions of an off-screen bad fall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27965636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcp_sob_rjl_lmep/pseuds/jcp_sob_rjl_lmep
Summary: “And-” He cut himself off as he noticed Alfred looking at him. Those gem green eyes lightened, an air of relief overtaking him. “Pennyworth, you’re awake!”Alfred, unable to help himself, sent a helpless look to Dick, whose mouth pinched into a thin line.“Damian, listen,” He started gently, and the boy began to shut down, obviously aware that it wasn’t going to be good news. “Alfred has amnesia.”
Relationships: Alfred Pennyworth & Everyone
Series: Batman Bingo 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1907791
Comments: 8
Kudos: 95





	people we can't live without (but have to let go)

“Hey, you’re awake!” The man at his bedside exclaimed upon seeing his open eyes. “Here-”

He leaned over, pressing the button on the side of the bed.

“You sure had us worried, it’s good to see your eyes open,” He said, relieved. The man in the bed frowned. “Is everything okay?”

But before he could respond, the doctor walked into the room, asking the other man to leave.

“Okay,” The doctor said, pulling out a penlight and shining it into his eyes. “Can you tell me your name?”

“Alfred Pennyworth.”

“Good. And the year?”

“19xx.”

“Hmmm.” The doctor said, his face going tight. After a few more questions, the doctor left, still frowning. The man from before came back in, tense.

“Alfred?” He asked. Alfred nodded.

“At your service - or, I would be if I weren’t in a hospital bed.” Alfred offered, though the man didn’t laugh. “And your name?”

The man sighed, muttering under his breath, “Oh man, this is not going to go over well.” Then, louder, “My name is Dick. I’m, uh...You really don’t recognize me?”

“Not at all,” Alfred shook his head.

At that moment, a young boy ran into the room-Master Bruce. Alfred very nearly called out to him, but at the last moment, realized that it was a different boy. His eyes were green, his skin was darker, and he had quite the imperious accent when he called Dick “Grayson”.

“Grayson,” He huffed, “The women at the nurses’ station _cooed_ at me as if I were a _child_!”

“Oh?” Dick asked, a little of his tension easing into amusement.

“And-” He cut himself off as he noticed Alfred looking at him. Those gem green eyes lightened, an air of relief overtaking him. “Pennyworth, you’re awake!”

Alfred, unable to help himself, sent a helpless look to Dick, whose mouth pinched into a thin line.

“Damian, listen,” He started gently, and the boy began to shut down, obviously aware that it wasn’t going to be good news. “Alfred has amnesia.”

“But he’s going to recover,” Damian insisted, and Dick hesitated a moment too long in his reply. Without a further word, the boy ran from the room.

“Shit! I’ll be right back,” Dick called over his shoulder, already running after the child.

As if on cue, his window slid open, admitting another man. Alfred had no clue what floor of the hospital he was on, but he was fairly sure it was high enough that strange men shouldn’t be able to climb in.

“Alfie, you’re awake! I was gettin’ worried,'' He said, with a rather thick Gotham accent, more so than either of the others.

“What happened?” Alfred asked, deciding to trust in the fact that he and this man were apparently comfortable enough for nicknames.

“It was an accident,” The man said, a wry unamused twist to his lips. “A real accident, this time. You fell, hit your head. The noise that it made-” He stopped short, a shudder running down his spine. A moment later, his eyes refocused and he looked Alfred in the eye. “Well, I’m not surprised you don’t remember.”

Alfred sighed. “I’m afraid that’s not the only thing I don’t remember.”

The man grabbed the stool from the corner, wheeling it over to sit by the bed and look at Alfred with a discerning eye. Finally, a bit of hurt leaking into his voice, he said, “You have no idea who I am, do you?”

Alfred slowly shook his head, and the man looked away, one hand coming up to cover his face and perhaps wipe his eyes quickly. Eyes slightly redder, voice slightly hoarse, he said, “Right, then. Let’s go through the rundown because I doubt any of the other idiots bothered. You know Bruce, right? Are Thomas and Martha…”

The sentence hung in the air as he struggled to word his question.

“They have passed on, yes. I am currently...in the process of gaining custody of Master Bruce from his uncle.”

The man paused, curious, but evidently decided to not ask questions. “Okay, good spring-off point. It’s currently the year 20xx. You managed to raise Bruce to adulthood, props to you, he’s a weirdo. He turned 18, traveled the world for a few years, came home, and took over WE. When he was 24, he went to go see the circus. You met Dick?”

Alfred nodded.

“Good. Bruce went to the circus that night, there was an accident, he brought home a kid. Dick moved out at 18, and that’s where I come into the picture. Hi, I’m Jason, second-oldest, Bruce took me off the streets when I was 12. I was home for a few years, ended up leaving, Tim was adopted after me. Probably haven’t met him yet. Short, scrawny, looks like he’s 12 but he’s 18. Cass was adopted after him but she’s a few years older, the only girl and therefore the favorite. You following?”

“There’s four of you?” Alfred asked. Jason’s head tipped back in laughter. After a few seconds, he wrestled himself under control, still giggling. “Oh man, just four of us. Nah, let’s keep going. After Cass came Damian, he’s the baby of the family. The most recent adoptee is Duke, aged between Tim and Damian.”

“So there are six of you.”

“Legally. There’s a lot of others that you’ll see at the Manor. Barbara, Babs, is the commissioner’s daughter, one of Dick’s best friends. Stephanie is Tim’s best friend, dating Cass. Harper and Cullen are siblings, but they were adopted by Kate Kane so they’re cousins, not our siblings. Kon is dating Tim, Jon is his little brother and Damian’s best friend. If you have any other questions, no one’s gonna have a problem re-introducing themselves. Kept track?”

Alfred’s head was beginning to spin, but he nodded. Jason glanced towards the door as footsteps neared it. He sent the chair back to the corner with a push, heading back for the open window. “Nah, you didn’t. But like I said, you’ll get the hang of it. See you later, Alf. Try and avoid any more hits to the head, huh?”

With that, he slipped back outside, sliding the window behind himself and leaving no trace as the door opened to allow more people in.

A young woman stepped in with a boy. Cass, Alfred deduced, and one of her remaining brothers. While the boy was very obviously still growing, he wasn’t exactly what Alfred would call scrawny, so… “You must be Cass and Duke, then?”

“Little brother was here,” Cass said in response, looking at the window. Some of Alfred’s confusion must have shown, as Duke chuckled.

“Sorry, yeah, Cass and Duke,” He said, pointing between them as he spoke their names. “She calls Jason ‘little brother’ even though he’s older, it’s a thing. How, uh, how are you feeling?”

At the question, Cass’s head swiveled back to him, looking at him with a piercing gaze.

“Different, but same,” She frowned, glancing at Duke. No explanation was forthcoming, so Alfred decided to ignore it and answer Duke’s question.

“My head aches, I assume because of the fall. There are other pains, but those are negligible.” He replied. The worry in Duke’s brown eyes eased slightly. “Might I ask where Master Bruce is?”

“Training,” Cass said promptly. Duke gave a little nervous chuckle, flicking her hand at an angle that Alfred guessed he wasn’t meant to have seen.

“He’s on a trip, one of those island, no contact things. We left a message for him as soon as he gets back to civilization, but we don’t know how long that will be.” Duke said, something underlying his tone. He was mostly telling the truth, Alfred thought, but he was keeping something from him. They were all keeping something from him. Still, pushing now would do him no good.

“How about a round of cards, then?” He asked, and as they settled in to play, Alfred resolved to keep an eye on things. Perhaps the Manor would have more clues.

* * *

They arrived back at the Manor the next day; Dick and Cass had been in the car with him, telling him that their other siblings were getting the Manor ready for their arrival. Dick refused to let him carry anything, and Cass hopped up the stairs to open the front door before he could reach it, giving him a winning smile before he could say anything. Alfred could tell that it was wearing on them that he still didn’t have any recollection beyond what he had woken up with; it was as if they were throwing the ball in his direction, but he had never been taught to catch.

As they made their way inside, another boy darted out of the kitchen, wearing a full suit and tie, yelling incomprehensibly over his shoulder.

“Tim!” Dick called from behind him. “English, thank you.”

Seamlessly, Tim slid into English, continuing to yell at presumably one of his brothers.

“Who’s cooking?” Dick demanded, moving around Alfred. He turned to look, but Cass had disappeared, along with his hospital bag. Hopefully, she was setting it in his room, and hopefully, his room was the same one he remembered being in.

“Jason,” Three voices chorused, and as Alfred reached the kitchen, he saw Jason standing in front of the stove, apron tied over his clothes, and all three of his younger brothers had apparently been camped out in the room with him.

“Sorry, Alfred,” Tim said, awkwardly stuffing his hands in his pockets. Dick made his way into the kitchen, but Tim showed no sign of going back in. “I’m Tim. How are you feeling?”

“Well, thank you,” Alfred said, glancing the boy up and down. Jason had been right, his oldest younger brother was indeed slight, and although Alfred had just met him, he felt the urge to feed him. Tim’s suit, however, was perfectly tailored and made him look older than the 18 that Jason had called him. His tie was stamped with the Wayne crest, which Alfred hadn’t seen anyone wear since Thomas passed.

“Sorry I can’t stay long, I have to get to work,” His voice raised higher, apparently so his brothers could hear. “Considering I make the money for this family and all.”

“Hey, you volunteered!” Jason protested, looking away from the stove. The oil in his pan hissed and popped, and he cursed, looking back down.

“Thank you for letting us all be slackers, Timmy,” Dick called, while Damian argued, “That’s Father’s money, cretin!”

“Hey, I can go with you,” Duke offered. The kitchen went silent. All four of his brothers turned to look at him incredulously. “What? I’m just saying!”

“If you can put on a good suit in five minutes, I have a tie,” Tim said, looking at his phone. The device was terribly advanced compared to what Alfred was used to, but it didn’t matter, anyway, as the doctor had told him he wasn’t allowed to use any ‘screens’ whilst he was recovering.

Duke shrugged, heading upstairs at a run.

“Okay,” Tim sighed. “Uh, Dick, you get to call Duke out of school today, have fun with that, I’m gonna go bring the car around. One of us has to have a good reputation and as the past has shown us, Bruce is not it. See you later, Alfie.”

With that, he headed back down the hallway, turning quickly in the direction of the garage. Although he didn’t see her pass him, when he stepped into the kitchen, Cass was sitting at a stool, poking at the paper Damian was working on. As the boy’s annoyance built, Dick reached over and flicked her in the forehead, pointing his finger in admonishment. “No, Cass.”

Cass stuck her tongue out, jumping out of his reach with a laugh. Dick turned away from his sister with a grin and a shake of his head.

“Dames, school,” He said, picking up a pad of paper off of the counter. “Go get your stuff, I’ll write a letter to the office.”

“Why does Duke get to go?” Damian complained, gathering his papers and heading out of the kitchen.

“Duke asked!” Duke called, following after Tim. He also looked very smart in a tailored suit, black with a yellow pocket square; he tugged at his cufflinks as he hurried. “See y’all later!”

There was a chorus of goodbyes, and then another when Damian and Dick left; Cass once again slipped away without his notice, leaving Jason and Alfred alone in the kitchen. Jason, it seemed, had anticipated this; the food split evenly between two plates with no leftovers, and the pan was left on the turned off stove to cool before being washed.

“So,” He said, setting one plate in front of Alfred and seating himself at the now empty island. “My plan for today is to get your to-do list and try to get some stuff done around here. That thing is huge, Alf, I don’t know how we survive without you.”

The words were said seriously, emotion brimming behind them; Alfred was beginning to catch hints that his relationship to the Wayne family was not only that of their butler.

He took a bite as Alfred sat down across from him, very nearly speaking with his mouth full; at the last second, he glanced up and shut his mouth, swallowing before he spoke.

“You’re going to rest today. We’ve had some experience with concussions in this household,” This was said with a wry twist to his lips as if he were talking about an inside joke. “So we can reevaluate tomorrow, see how you’re feeling then.”

Alfred nearly protested; his head felt fine, after all, it was mostly the bruising from the fall that ached and it wasn’t as if he had never been hurt before. But Jason was studiously eating his food, cutting precise bites and chewing mechanically. For a moment, Alfred’s chest ached, and he decided to eat his food and leave the boy in peace.

After he ate, he did indeed follow Jason to his room, which was the one that he remembered, if different for the thirty years that he no longer remembered. After seeing Jason out with the task list he needed, Alfred sat on his bed, looking down at the photo book he had found on his shelf. There was a family picture tucked into the front; the six children, Alfred, and in the middle of the family he had built, there was Alfred’s boy.

Bruce looked like Thomas, so much that it nearly took Alfred’s breath away. Broad and tall like his father, though bigger than Thomas had been; Jason took after his father, and from the looks of it, Damian was going to head that way as well. But there were still hints of Martha in him. He had her nose, and the sparkle in his eye was all hers, even if the color didn’t match. Yet that wry twist to his mouth, the way his hand rested on Damian’s head, those were quirks Alfred recognized from himself, already missing the happy little boy that had broken when his parents died.

Alfred settled himself on the bed and flicked the album open. Perhaps this would have some hints about the secret this family hid.

* * *

The rest of the day went quietly, even as the children began to trickle back home. After dinner, which Tim and Duke had bought and brought home with them, they all made their excuses and within an hour after that, Alfred was alone. Although he had apparently raised their father and helped to raise them, there were secrets he held that they didn’t know, such as not to hand him a mystery and then proceed to leave him by himself.

All he needed was a hint to get started; that would come a few hours later, when Duke popped into the kitchen for a late-night snack, not expecting Alfred to be sitting there with a cup of tea.

“Alfred,” He greeted, one hand moving up as if he were going to cover the suspicious stain on his shirt, then dropping back to rest at his side in an attempt to redirect Alfred’s attention.

Alfred Pennyworth knew stains, and he knew blood. That was most definitely blood on Duke’s shirt. But Alfred didn’t have all of the pieces, so he simply filed it away for later consideration and pretended he hadn’t seen anything. It was streaked along his side, so he likely hadn’t been the one injured, only had blood wiped on him at some point.

They had a short conversation and Alfred again pretended not to notice when Duke gestured sharply at someone behind Alfred’s back. He had been sworn into the Waynes’ service long before these children were born, and he would fulfill his duties to the best of his ability as he always did.

* * *

The following days went mostly the same, although they did begin to relent and allow him to use ‘screens’ after they deemed him healed enough. As he continued to ask where Bruce was, he watched them stutter over the answers, refusing to go into detail even when he tried to pry.

That wasn’t the only strange thing; sometimes he caught glimpses of them out of the corner of his eye, but they were gone when he turned. Bright flashes of color - red, blue, green, and yellow - streaked by when he wasn’t looking, but never long enough for him to see what they were.

He discovered Master Damian one night climbing in the window, a bundle of fabric in his arms. He wore a strange outfit, with a mask across his eyes. He froze when he saw Alfred, one leg still outside.

“I was rescuing a stray animal, Pennyworth,” He said, offering no excuse for his clothing. The bundle shifted, and a kitten poked its head out, meowing as if in agreement.

“Very well, Master Damian,” Alfred agreed, turning and watching from the corner of his eye as the boy relaxed and finished getting inside. “Let’s go and find something to feed it, then.”

Next were Master Duke and Miss Cass, he in yellow and black, she in black and yellow.

“Practicing for our paintball team,” Was the squeaked excuse he got, and he simply smiled and asked to watch them play sometime, letting them slip off to their rooms.

Then, about a week after he had been brought back to the Manor, he was making a round of the house at midnight and turned the corner to find two men in masks, one in red holding the other in blue, as Master Tim struggled to open the door.

He cleared his throat and they all froze. Finally, Tim turned, an awkward smile tugging at his lips.

“Hey, Alfred,” he said, leaning back against the door. “Fancy meeting you he-”

Before he could finish his sentence, the door swung open, tipping him to the ground inside. The standing man immediately began to cackle, his body turning enough that Alfred glimpsed the familiar white streak marking him as Master Jason.

“And what is going on here?” He questioned, some familiar impulse taking him over.

“Oh. OH!” Jason said, glancing down at what he was wearing and the man he was carrying. “Uh. Dick and I were. Partying.”

“Partying,” Alfred said dryly. “Do forgive me for saying, Master Jason, that you and Master Dick are some of the least likely partiers I have ever met.”

“It was a costume party,” Tim added, poking his head back through the doorway. “Dick got tired.”

Dick was very clearly totally unconscious.

“I can see that,” Alfred said, sarcastic, watching the boys pale as their excuses became weaker. “Very well, best to get him and yourselves to bed.”

Jason and Tim relaxed, which was their mistake. Alfred had clues and evidence, and in the morning, he would begin his questioning.

* * *

Luckily for his grandsons, that never came. Alfred was in the middle of making breakfast when Batman barged in, panic in his stance. Following him was a stream of children, all already babbling excuses.

“Father and I saw a dog-”

“Dad plays paintball too-”

“Bruce was out with Dick and Jason-”

Alfred smiled to himself as he moved the eggs off the burner. Without turning, he said, “Master Bruce, welcome home.”

The kitchen stuttered into silence and Bruce relaxed, tension releasing as he realized Alfred was well.

“Why didn’t you tell me he had his memories back?” He asked his children, pulling off the cowl and brushing his hair back out of his eyes. He needed a haircut, Alfred noted, as did Master Damian and possibly Master Jason.

“They weren’t aware,” He excused them, beginning to transfer food to platters for the table. “I woke this morning, perfectly able to recall everything.”

It was a surprise when he felt an impact against his legs, Master Damian darting in to offer one of his prickly hugs.

“Don’t do that again,” Damian ordered. Alfred could only tell he was trembling because he was in physical contact with the boy. But before he could offer any reassurance, Damian was off again, retreating to his previous spot by the refrigerator.

They would talk it over later, in several smaller conversations. When Dick would give Bruce and Alfred a full run-down of events; when Tim and Duke and Cass would all also tell him to be careful, in their own words. When Jason would slip into his room that night with wet eyes, and again describe the sound that Alfred’s head made when it hit the floor; all of his family suddenly, awfully confronted with the fact that Alfred was getting older. When he would wake the next morning, grateful for his large bed as everyone had climbed in at some point during the night, Bruce sitting watch over them, holding Alfred’s hand and making sure the children didn’t jostle him or each other too much.

But for now, they had breakfast to eat, and time to be together.

“Master Bruce, do go and change, you know that you need to wash before you eat.” Bruce ducked back out of the kitchen, leaving his children to Alfred’s mercy as they settled around the large breakfast nook. “And all of you! You are well aware of the rule that no uniforms are to be worn upstairs, so why is it that the only one I haven’t seen at least once in uniform is Master Tim…”

**Author's Note:**

> This is unrealistic but uh. 1. Comic book science and 2. I do what I want.  
> This fills the amnesia square on my bingo card! If you want to see the full card, the link is in the series description.  
> Downloads are fine but please don't post this anywhere else without my permission.  
> Feel free to come catch me on [tumblr](https://iwillstaywiththemforever.tumblr.com).  
> Love you all and I will see you later!


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